Riff Tone
To Live Is to Die
Metallica
Guitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarESP MX-220 (black finish, 1987, with EMG 81 bridge and EMG 60 neck pickups)
AmpClean channel of Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (studio recording, 1988)
PickupsEMG 60 (neck, active humbucker)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6
mid4
treble7
reverb1
presence5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1988. Clean section likely used the EMG 60 neck pickup for warmth and clarity. No evidence of chorus or heavy modulation; reverb likely from amp or studio. No pedal effects confirmed for clean section.
Tone Character(10)
crystal-clear and pristinewarm and rounded neck pickup soundslightly compressed dynamicssubtle amp reverb for deptharticulate note separationno audible breakup or edgestudio-polished clarityno palm mutinggentle pick attackeven sustain without harshness
Difficulty
The clean riff requires accurate finger placement and consistent picking to maintain clarity and evenness, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast passages.
Sources
This tone has been researched 5 times by the community
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Create Free AccountGuitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarESP MX-220 (black finish, 1987, with EMG 81 bridge and EMG 60 neck pickups)
AmpClean channel of Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (studio recording, 1988)
PickupsEMG 60 (neck, active humbucker)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6
mid4
treble7
reverb1
presence5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
This tone has been researched 5 times by the community
Notes
Studio recording, 1988. Clean section likely used the EMG 60 neck pickup for warmth and clarity. No evidence of chorus or heavy modulation; reverb likely from amp or studio. No pedal effects confirmed for clean section.
Tone Character(10)
crystal-clear and pristinewarm and rounded neck pickup soundslightly compressed dynamicssubtle amp reverb for deptharticulate note separationno audible breakup or edgestudio-polished clarityno palm mutinggentle pick attackeven sustain without harshness
Difficulty
The clean riff requires accurate finger placement and consistent picking to maintain clarity and evenness, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast passages.
To Live Is to Die settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
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